MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - After the opening two games of the Premier League season, the mood around Newcastle United was that of a club in crisis, potentially facing a long battle against relegation. On Sunday, Newcastle are away to Brighton and Hove Albion, who also came up last season and have just one win from their opening five encounters. Brighton manager Chris Hughton previously worked at Newcastle and believes Benitez is benefiting from the signings made for last year's Championship campaign. One of those players who has impressed so far is winger Matt Ritchie who dropped down a division last year when he moved to Newcastle from Bournemouth. Newcastle won both the league clashes between the clubs last season but Brighton will take heart from their last home game, when they beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 - their first ever Premier League win.

Source: The Star September 21, 2017 17:15 UTC